How many of you remember the mascot who represented the Philadelphia 76ers until 1996? Or the one who took its place until 2011? Yup! Before our kid-friendly, big, and very blue mascot now, the Sixers had two different mascots representing them. But for nine years, Franklin The Dog has been entertaining the fans and cheering for the team. So, let’s take a deeper look at him (or her) before we move on to the others.

The canine mascot was born on February 10, 2015, after a four-year hiatus. He was introduced to media and 400 fans at the Franklin Institute and after an exciting weekend at the NBA All-Star in New York as the league’s newest mascot, made his official Sixers debut at the Wells Fargo Center on the 19th later that month.

Franklin stands at a height of 5’10 or 6′ with ears up, weighs 176 pounds, and has a tail length of 1’3″. In addition, he graduated from Dog Pound U, per the official 76ers NBA website. And much like the NBA players, Franklin also receives a check for his services. I mean, come on! The Dog did not put in all that work just to go empty-handed, now did he? 

Unfortunately, we do not have a specific amount to give you. But according to multiple sources, NBA mascots earn anywhere from $60,000 to $100,000 on average. And given Franklin’s popularity, there is no doubt he is in the upper echelons. We’ll come back to this in a moment.

Going back to his history, initially, all the Philadelphia 76ers let the public know was that they would be announcing a new mascot, who would be blue and hairy. And more importantly, it was designed “by kids, for kids.” And that’s where Franklin’s predecessors come into play.

A stroll through the history of the Philadelphia 76ers mascot history

Remember what we said in the introduction? Yup, Philly’s very first mascot was a fun-loving, highly entertaining, absolutely lovable, and of course, very blue, Big Shot. With an abnormally huge lower body, an alien-like face, with ginger hair, and really cool shades, Big Shot was a staple at the Sixers’ center. In fact, he could very well find a role in Disney’s Monsters Inc. if he weren’t out of commission now. That’s how affable and loved he was at the ‘City of Brotherly Love’!

In fact, when the team was planning their new mascot, there was an overwhelming response from fans to bring Big Shot back. But we know who the Philadelphia 76ers got. However, taking into account their love for the old mascot, they made sure to keep the blue and hairy in Franklin.

That brings us to their failed second stint with Hip Hop. The jacked bunny is widely associated with the Allen Iverson era. Hip Hop’s introduction also marked the transition into a more athletic mascot who could jump and do great dunks. And boy, could he jump and dunk! But that’s all there was to it. His appearance – tall, athletic, and sporting the signature AI bandana – left a lot to be desired. Many described Hip Hop as creepy.

And he wasn’t particularly well-received by children. Needless to say, the management wanted to change that narrative as fast as possible. That marked the end of the acrobatic bunny in 2011. But just to go with the creative aspect of it all, the official story is that he found his love in a lady rabbit and spent the better part of his time in rural Pennsylvania, leaving him with little to no time carrying out his mascot duties.

And this was why the management, when choosing Franklin, took input from kids. Clearly, it was a success! But now, we go back to the financial side of things. After all, with the recent Denver Nuggets’ mascot news, everyone has been quite curious as to who the top earners among the mascots are.

NBA’s top-earning mascots: the best-paid performers in fur

In an early October 2022, interview between Jamal Murray and Taylor Rooks, the latter hilariously pointed out that she should be interviewing the Nuggets’ mascot. Rocky the Mountain Lion, Denver’s mascot, was reportedly earning $625,000 a year, the Boardroom posted! That’s 10 times more than the average pay of a professional NBA mascot.

And when Rooks asked what made Rocky so special, Murray answered, “He just gives off a lot of energy and makes the half-court shots backwards every time. Actually, at a really good rate,” the NBA champ said, like he couldn’t believe it himself. Clearly, Rocky takes his responsibilities very seriously.

The Boardroom posted the report a few days prior to Rooks’ interview with Murray on X. Suffice it to say, it shocked the NBA world. The report contained the top 5 mascots who get paid handsomely for their services in addition to Rocky.

Well, what do you think? Were you aware that these mascots, in fact, earned more than the top WNBA players? Would you consider signing up for the job if there was an opening? Do let us know your thoughts in the comments.